A new report looking at crew connectivity on ships has revealed the
emotional and operational impact on professional seafarers working at sea with
limited opportunities to interact digitally with friends and family.

Researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London, conducted the
‘Navigating Everyday Connectivities at Sea’ study in conjunction with maritime
charity Sailors’ Society and with Inmarsat, using an immersive study approach on
board two container ships for 10 days, one with on board Wi-Fi capabilities and
one without.

The researchers looked at how seafarers use mobile phones and other
digitally enabled devices in their daily lives during long periods at sea, and
the opportunities and risks that such usage introduces. The report showed that
access to Wi-Fi, even in a limited capacity, helped to reduce some of the
emotional stresses that come with separation from families.

However, the research also showed that where there were weekly limits to
connectivity seafarers felt forced to ration their allowance to certain periods
or to prioritise contact among friends. Restricting usage meant that domestic
issues could not be resolved immediately or in real time, adding to personal
stress or anxiety.

Another of the report’s key findings demonstrated how connectivity is
becoming a significant factor in recruitment, particularly for those newly
entering the industry. Young people brought up with constant connectivity are
viewing the ability to get online as a significant deciding factor as to whether
they commit to a career at sea.

The argument that connectivity disrupts work and rest patterns was not
backed up by the research, which actually showed that not having reliable
onboard internet itself impacts such patterns – if the only method of digitally
engaging with personal networks is through mobile phones, seafarers would
connect when the ship was within mobile signal range, regardless of the time of
day, external factors, work or rest hours.

“Digital connectivity at sea has been one of the major talking points of
the decade in the maritime industry, which has been slow to adopt technology
enabling improvements in connectivity across the world’s commercial fleet,” said
Dr Rikke Bjerg Jenson, one of the principal researchers from Royal Holloway,
University of London.

“While several studies have used surveys to try to establish the rate of
these improvements and their wide-ranging implications, none – to our knowledge
– has taken observations of crew behaviour and conversations with seafarers as
their starting point.”